Hit my 1,000th sweep this Tuesday and it felt weird

I kept track for years thinking it would be some big milestone, but when I actually hit 1,000 I was just tired and wanted lunch. The customer had a wood stove insert that was packed so tight it took me an extra 45 minutes to clear. Has anyone else noticed the milestones you build up in your head don't feel like much when they happen?

3 comments

3 Comments

patriciap521mo ago

That 45 minutes extra would've had me rethinking my whole life choices while scraping creosote. Kinda funny how 1,000 sweeps just means you're that much closer to 1,001.

eva9081mo ago

The 1,001 thing gets me every time... I remember being at 500 sweeps thinking I was halfway done, but then someone pointed out that's only halfway if you're stopping at 1,000. Which nobody ever does, you just keep going until the chimney is clean or you run out of daylight. That extra 45 minutes is like the universe's way of testing you... like when you're at 999 and think you can coast, but the next sweep is always the one where a hidden nest decides to drop on your head.

lilyg831mo ago

Wait, you hit 999 and thought you were almost done? Oh boy, you must have been new to the game. I did the same thing my first season. I had 1,000 exactly and was cracking open a soda when my boss yelled at me to get back up there. That 1,001st sweep is always the one where you find a dead squirrel or a wasp nest that wasn't there before. The last one bites you in the butt every single time. Now I just plan on 1,050 from the start and call it good if I only hit 1,020.